Pagina 152 de 896

"Miss Manette, look upon the prisoner."

To be confronted with such pity, and such earnest youth and

beauty, was far more trying to the accused than to be confronted

with all the crowd. Standing, as it were, apart with her on the

edge of his grave, not all the staring curiosity that looked on,

could, for the moment, nerve him to remain quite still. His

hurried right hand parcelled out the herbs before him into

imaginary beds of flowers in a garden; and his efforts to control

and steady his breathing shook the lips from which the colour

rushed to his heart. The buzz of the great flies was loud again.

"Miss Manette, have you seen the prisoner before?"

"Yes, sir."

"Where?"

"On board of the packet-ship just now referred to, sir, and on

the same occasion."

"You are the young lady just now referred to?"

"O! most unhappily, I am!"